Circus Pets
by Idea4Coolnames
Summary: GaaraXOC He was running from a mistake and found himself in a dark forest. A man approached him, promising things a child would want, what he wants. It was a complete lie. Now he's forced to perform against his will with other children who share his fate.
1. Chapter 1

**This was inspired by a youtube video called "Dark Wood Circus" and I couldn't help but relate it to this fanfic. So I guess you can say this is a bit AU. But enough of that and enjoy. By the way...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and all this is just fanmade.**

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><p>He did it again.<p>

But it wasn't his fault. They were the ones to have come out and attacked him like that. He only killed them in the sake of self-defense. Nevertheless, he ran away from the dismembered bodies. He didn't know or care where he was running to, as long as it was away from the mess he created, away from the danger of being killed, but most of all, away from the hateful stares of the people around him. He was out of breath by the time he got out of his village and his legs were screaming in agony for him to rest, but he continued to run until he no longer could see the sands of the desert and reached the dark forest. There, he began to collapse, and there he started to cry. Those tears he held back flowed smoothly down his cheeks like the stream he sat next to.

"Why?" He asked himself, "Why does this have to happen to me?"

Too exhausted to cry, he went to lie on his back and stare up at the sky as he usually would back in the Sand Village. However, he could not stare up at the twinkling stars or the brilliant moon because of the large branches and their equally large leaves were covering his view. All that can seep through from these thick trees were the beams of light that the moon provided. After a while of doing this, he realized that his throat grew dry and he was thirsty. Sitting up, he cupped his hands and dipped them into the flowing stream beside him to take a drink. It was very cool and refreshing and settled his dry throat. Breathing out a sigh, he looked down towards the stream at his reflection.

It wasn't fair. He was the only child out of all the children in the village to have this stupid beast inside him. Not even his older siblings had to suffer like he did. And none of them understood him. They never understood his agony from the screams in his head, the abandonment of what he thought was his loved ones, the loneliness of having no one but oneself to confide in. He never asked for it, it was forced upon him. What's worse was how no one, not one single person, tried to befriend him for him and not for the sake of assassinating him. If he could have one wish, he would wish that someone out there would hold out their hands to him, inviting him to a friendship that he can only witness from other people sharing. He wanted that luxury of having to trust someone, to share certain things with them, and to create a bond so strong that he would never fall into the despair he's in right now.

"Is that so much to ask?" He wailed out to the dark forest. His cries were answered by silence.

In his state, he found that the dark forest was very quiet than what he normally thought a forest would sound like. He couldn't hear the tall tale of insects making any cricket sounds, birds such as owls were not hooting, or the sound of nocturnal rodents escaping from those owls didn't scurry about. Not even the sound of rustling leaves could be heard when a slight breeze passed him. It was all very strange and it made him highly paranoid. He could possibly be in a genjutsu. Making the familiar hands signs, the words of _disperse_ entered his mind, but nothing happened. The dark forest remained as it is.

Just as he thought to meditate in his spot until morning approaches, he heard something rustling. Surprised by the sudden noise, he jumped to his feet ready to defend himself against whatever was out there. Though, it was now too dark to see in the forest, the moonlight no longer shedding any light.

_What kind of forest is this?_ He could no longer recall how he even entered this strange place. Was it there? Or was it over there? His five year old mind told him his best solution was to stay put in this place until morning came, else he would get lost in the process of trying to find his way out now.

"Are you looking for me?" The sudden voice startled him. It was deep and very soothing. He turned to the direction he thought he heard it come from.

There, right across from the stream he drank from was a man dressed in odd clothing. It almost appeared as a tuxedo, but with black and white stripes going down his suit vertically and a very large red tie. Not only that, but he wore a rather large top hat that was endowed with a few flowers at the side, and this hat hid this stranger's face. He also carried around what appeared to be a straight cane with a ball at the top, which was grasped tightly in his gloved hands.

"Hello, my dear child," This stranger spoke again. "Mind telling me your name?"

"Are you an assassin?" There was no need to be polite to strangers, especially one that can be a potential threat.

"Who me?" The stranger tilted his head back to let out a loud chortle. He caught sight of black locks that cascaded a few inches from the base of this stranger's neck, but the stranger quickly bent his head and allowed his hat to cover his face before he could get anymore of his appearance.

"I could never kill anyone." Somehow, he detected a smile from this stranger. "I heard your thoughts. You said you wanted a friend, am I correct?"

Setting his guard down just a bit, he answered the stranger with a nod. How was it possible for this man to have heard his thoughts? Could he be the friend that he has been wishing for?

"No, dear child, I am not the one to befriend you," The stranger finally looked up to meet eye to eye with him. He shivered when he saw strong red eyes staring deeply at his teal ones. "However, I could provide you one if you come with me."

Putting his guard up on full alert he asked, "Why should I come with you?" He could never trust the words of an assassin, especially a stranger like him. Just because he's dressed oddly doesn't mean he isn't a danger to him.

"Calm down, child. I'm not here to kill you. I could have done so if I wanted to." It was true, he thought. He couldn't even detect this stranger's presence before he let himself be known. "I heard your plea and could feel your sorrow. My dear child, you have suffered a great deal. If you come with me, you'll see many people smile at you."

Was that true? Could this stranger really bring him that? Looking up at this stranger's crimson eyes, he doubted he could possibly do a thing. But he was hopeful. He wished for a friend and this stranger is granting his wish. He also sensed his feelings towards the matter. Is it possible that he could be a guardian angel that he's read so much in books, someone who can help him guide him to happiness?

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara." He finally thought of answering this man. "Is it true you could get me a friend?"

"And so much more, my child!" The stranger began walking across the stream. Gaara concluded that he must have been a ninja at one point to know how to stand on water. Though, he didn't dwell on that matter for too long before this stranger was standing right in front of him. "You may call me Master. That's what the others are to call me too."

"Others?" He wondered who they might be. He figured that they were the people he were to become friends with. "Are they the ones that are going to smile at me?"

"Not quite, but they are similar to you, once sad children such as yourself, until transformed into something extravagant and showed to the world." Master smiled at him. "Now then!" sweeping his legs into an elegant way of sitting cross-legged, he was at the same height level as Gaara. "Before I take you, let's have you sign something first."

Reaching into his striped tuxedo vest, he pulled out a scroll. He unraveled it and showed it to Gaara. Gaara took a good look at the scroll. At the top it said in large bright gold letters, CONTRACT, then some very fine print words that he couldn't read without some magnifying glass, then at the bottom was a large X with a straight line following after it.

"You see this?" Master pointed at the X with the line. "That's where you'll sign your name to ensure that you agree to come with me." With a flick of a wrist, Master revealed a feathered pen and handed it over to him. "As soon as you sign this, I assure you that you'll transform into something extravagant and your old life will be the thing of the past."

Staring at the pen in his hand, then at the contract in Master's, he thought once more of what he was doing. Somehow, this didn't seem so reassuring. This man who calls himself Master and dresses funny is now coming off with an aura of danger, but his promises are tempting. He said that he wouldn't have to live his old life of suffering. He'll be a person with friends. People will smile at him than stare hatefully. He will also meet children just like himself.

_I want this._ Gaara thought before reaching out to the paper and signing his name with the feathered pen that let out gold ink. After seeing his full name on the scroll, Master rolled it up and placed it back in his tuxedo vest. Gaara smiled up at Master once he stood back up to his full height and excitedly asked, "When does the transformation start?"

Master grinned. "Now."

As soon as he said that, Gaara felt something burning in his gut and it wasn't a good burning like the sun rays of the Sand Village, it was a burning that brought on extreme pain. The intensity of it made him fall to his knees and hold his stomach. It felt like his insides were being melted away. He felt as if something were to come up and spew out of his mouth. Then, when he thought it couldn't get any worse, the same burning was spreading. His arms and legs felt like they were shrinking. He felt hairs growing everywhere on his body, on his head and at the tail of his spine he could feel something growing. Large tears flowed as he shut his eyes from the pain.

"MAKE IT STOP!" He looked up at Master to see him still grinning. Why wasn't he doing anything? Did he plan for this to happen? "IT'S BURNING! IT HURTS! STOP IT! STOP IT!"

"Not yet. It's almost finished." He heard Master mutter.

Gaara felt claws coming out from where his nails should be, his face was becoming elongated, and he could feel the bones of his arms and legs shifting around. He wanted to shout to Master at what he's done, but all that came out was a loud shrill. _What?_ Trying his best to open his eyes, Gaara met with a furry paw. _WHAT?_ Looking down his body, he found that he grew very furry and had a tail. His anxieties increased when he saw the bones of his legs shifting and then stopping when it was in its correct position, along with the pain.

"What have you done to me?" He shouted, but sounded like another shrill.

Nevertheless, Master understood. "You are transformed with the image of your inner demon." His grin grew sadistic. "Now let's go meet the other children that have fallen into this curse." Master reached down to pick him up. Gaara would have fought back, but due to the transformation, he simply had no energy left, not even enough to keep him awake. "Sleep, and when you awake, your new life begins."

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><p><strong>What do you think? Should I continue?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Well here's another chapter up, just to keep people interested.**

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><p>Laughter. He could hear people laugh followed by a round of applause. Who was clapping? Where was he? What happened? He tried to recall what has occurred and remembered the man, the one called Master. He did something. He turned him into something. He said it was the image of his inner demon. But his demon would come out only if he sleeps. Wait a minute… he did sleep… that means…<p>

He woke up with a surprise as a loud bang was heard from somewhere in his surroundings. Blinking away the sleep, he frantically looked around and found himself in a cage. That's when he recalled all of the events of the day before. He was sad, very sad, and wanted to run. He met Master and he made him turn into this furry thing that he is now. Then he took him somewhere. He guessed this somewhere is here with lots of loud noises and boxes around him.

Well, just because he's in a cage, doesn't mean he won't try to get out. With as much space given, he backed up then with all the energy he can muster he rammed into what he assumed to be the door of his cage. When it didn't budge, he tried it again, and again, and again. He continued this despite feeling tired and hurt and he would have continued doing so if a voice didn't call out to him. Though, this voice did not belong to Master, it was another voice.

"Would you keep it down? You're not going to get out of there." A loud set of laughter boomed before he tried to look for that voice. "Right here! To your left!"

Just as the voice said, he turned to the left and what he spotted was a fox… sort of. He wasn't sure because foxes normally do not have nine tails swaying behind them. So what is that thing? And why can it talk?

"I see that you got captured too." The ears on this fox lowered along with his voice.

"What do you mean captured?" Gaara asked the strange fox. "Master promised…!"

"It was a lie!" The fox shrieked, his nine tails and ears straight and pointing up. "He said he was going to do all these things, but it was a lie!"

"What?" Gaara didn't understand. He wasn't answered with a response as another round of applause was given and someone opened a flap that was supposed to be a door and wheeled in another funny looking creature. This time it appeared to be a blue two-tailed cat. As soon as the person (it was hard to tell what he looked like) placed the animal in the position he wanted it to, he left. The cat sighed before giving him a side glance.

"So I see you're finally awake, ne raccoon-dog?" The cat talked to him in a deep feminine voice. How is it these animals can talk? And did this cat call him a raccoon-dog?

"I'm not a…"

"I'm sure he told you right? _Master_ told you of becoming your inner demon?" She sneered at Master's name. But he ignored it and repeated what Master told him on that day.

"Transforming into the image of my inner demon…" That explained how he saw a paw and claws. Then that means… "You are the other children he talked about!"

"Bingo!" She scoffed tiredly. "Though, I've been here for so long already, I don't think I'm considered a child anymore."

"What's going?" He heard loud gasps from somewhere, just as he heard laughter. "What's all this noise?"

It was very confusing for him. He still didn't understand what happened to him or what the fox or cat was telling him. Where was he? How did he get here? How many other children are like him and the other two he talked with? It was all very frightening to think that a man called Master could do such things like this. What is he going to do with them anyways?

"Ladies and Gentlemen! May I have your attention please!" Gaara felt his ears perk up at the voice. It belonged to Master. "If you've seen my shows before, then let me inform you all that I have a new addition to my pack of animals!"

"It looks like he's talking about you." The cat muttered.

"Me? What is he going to do to me?"

"You're going to perform, kid." The cat yawned before lying in a lazy position that only cats seem to master so well. "Here's a bit of advice. If he demands you to do something, do it."

"What?" He was confused. What will he make him do? What can he do in a body like his?

"Now, if my assistant Zetsu will be so kind as to bring out this new addition! This one will give you a show you've never seen before!" He could hear Master's voice being drowned out by a set of cheers and whistles.

Then, the flap of a door opened and that same man that brought in the cat came in and approached him. As he did so, Gaara took a good look of him. This man, no, he wasn't sure if he was a man or if it was a costume of his, but he looked terrifying, like a man eating plant. He was vertically split in half with one side of him being completely black and the other half being completely white. When he spoke to him, he could see sharp pointed teeth. If the people back in the Sand Village called him a monster, then what does that make the man in front of him?

Gaara backed away as much as the cage would allow him. This man didn't apparently like it and shook the cage, making him tumble forward and hit his nose on one of the bars. He whimpered from the pain. Something he thought he was incapable of feeling not too long ago. "Let's go you runt. It's show time."

The man took his cage and wheeled him out. Gaara blinked from the various amounts of lighting compared to the dark room he once was before. After adjusting to the lighting, he could finally see where he was. In front of him was a large crowd of people, which explained all the loud noises. Above, he could see the ceiling of a large tent with many ropes and flags connecting to some parts. Looking to the side, he could make out what appeared to be a tightrope and a net beneath it. Then, as the man wheeled him into the area he believed to be the center, he found a platform, possibly for him, and Master standing right there with a whip in his right hand and a microphone in the left. As his surroundings set in, he realized that he was in a circus, and if what he can remember from children's books, he believed that he is to perform.

"Would you please give applause to my assistant Zetsu!" Master lowered his right hand to indicate the man who pushed his cage, now known as Zetsu. The strange plant man bowed and Master went on to point at him. "As I said before, this is my new addition as well as my last!" Master yelled out to the crowd in front of them. "I now have all nine of these unique creatures and though he appears small, this creature has the ability to control sand of vast amounts and shape them to anything he wills!"

Master turned away from the audience and towards the cage. "Are you ready?" Gaara didn't understand, but Master didn't care and opened his cage. Gaara hesitantly got out and onto the platform waiting for him. What was he supposed to do? "Ladies and Gentlemen! I present you with Shukaku, the one-tailed beast!"

The audience applauds again. Gaara looked at the people. There were various kinds of them. Children and adults of all sizes and color, looking at him expectantly, waiting for him to do something, but he had no idea of what it was they wanted him to do. So, he just sat there in his raccoon way and stared frightened from the atmosphere, the pressure, and the stares from the crowd. When he did nothing, he could hear the audience begin to murmur amongst one another and give strange looks of boredom. Master must have been angered by this because the next thing Gaara knew an electrical jolt went from his neck and spread around his body. It was almost as agonizing as the burning feeling he got when he was transforming. He placed his paws against the area of where the pain started and felt something metal. He looked down to see that it was a collar of some sort. He turned to Master to look at him questioningly.

"Do as I say or you'll receive another shock." He must have meant that pain and Gaara recalled that piece of advice the cat told him. "Now, I command you to use the sand around you and create something!" Another electrical jolt came upon him and did just what Master told him to do.

Using his first thought as his foundation, Gaara lifted the sand around the arena. The crowd gasped and awed at the sight of masses of sand swirling around like miniature tornadoes and coming together to slowly form a figure. Some of them had cameras and took photos as little grains of sand sparkled in the light and gathered to piece the last bit of the image that Gaara created. It took nearly almost all of his energy, but he did it. He created the first image to have popped into his mind and created the nine-tailed fox that he spoke to earlier being as tall as the tightrope above with the tails swishing behind it and ears lightly perking up once in a while.

"Very good," Master praised him, though he wasn't proud in the least bit. Then Master turned to the crowd and announced into the microphone, "This is the power of Shukaku!" The audience cheered and whistled at the spectacle as the sand fox began to prance around before melting away into the sand beneath them. "This concludes today's performance! Thank you and I hope you all have a good night!"

The lights began to dim, as did the energy in Gaara. The overall shock and strength from the formation was too much. He needed to lie down and rest. Shutting his eyes, he felt Master pick him up and place him back in the cage. He could barely hear him command Zetsu to round up the rest and start packing.

_I don't want this…_

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><p>He felt something nudge him and he smacked it away only to have it nudge him again with more force. "Hey, you better get up!" It sounded like that fox creature.<p>

Opening his eyes he saw the fox again, but this time neither of them was in small cages, only just one large one, and it wasn't just him, the cat, and the fox, there were more creatures in there as well. He counted a total of nine of them in this large cage, including him and the fox. One of them, who appeared to be the boss out of the group, was a red ape like creature with four tails that was sitting on a crate. It was roaring at the other creatures who sat below him. The one on the far left looked like a large spiky green turtle with three tails. Beside that one was a white horse-bodied creature with a fish face and five tails. The far right of them was a creature that looked like a rhinoceros beetle that had six wings and one long tail. Setting his eyes away from that group, he looked upon another group that looked to be lazing around in the corner, one of them being the blue two-tailed cat. The other two was a slimy six-tailed white slug and a red beefy looking eight-tailed ox. Everyone seemed to be in some sort of a discussion.

"What's your name!" the fox placed his face right in front of him, tails flicking what he thought was happily. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto! But my stage name is Kyuubi!"

"I'm Sabaku no Gaara." He told him. He wasn't sure if what Master called him before was his stage name. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, just boring stuff." Naruto flicked his paw nonchalantly. "Gorilla there has a plan to try and escape."

"The name's Roushi!" His loud voice boomed over to them, more specifically Naruto. "And you should be listening. This may be our chance to escape this Hell hole."

"Yeah, yeah… I know it's serious, but you make it sound so boring." Naruto pointed to the group that was lazing around in the corner. "That's why they're lying there and I'm talking to the new guy."

"Then you should act serious, boy!" The turtle reprimanded. He sounded very irritated.

"But I caaaannn't!" Naruto lay on his back and began rolling around. "I'm only fiiiivvvvvvee!" He reminded Gaara of a child throwing a fit. Just then, the cat approached them and landed a gentle paw on Naruto's snout of a nose.

"Naruto, please calm down and be silent." That seemed to stop him. He sat up and nuzzled the cat as if he was apologizing. "Okay, Yugito-nee-chan." She smiled at Naruto. Then she turned to the ape. "Roushi, wouldn't it be wise to inform our newcomer before discussing any escape plans, else we all fail and get ourselves killed in the process."

"It's true," the slug joined in, his voice relaxed and very much calm. "We may be strong, but our weakness is what can bring us down." He slid away from the corner and began slugging through his way over to the ape. "Roushi, you shall do the honors, since you've been here the longest."

"Very well," the ape frowned and shifted his head to look at him, Naruto and Yugito. He pointed one of his ape fingers over to Gaara. "You! Come closer, for I don't want to repeat myself in case you didn't manage to receive any tidbit of information due to the lack of volume. I will not raise my voice." Funny how his voice is still booming without having to raise it, but Gaara did as he was told. He was a somewhat behaved child after all.

"Let's begin…"

It was a tale of how each of them, at one moment in their childhood have become saddened deeply by the hate and scorn of people and ran off, and just like Gaara, found themselves in a forest so dark and silent that no light or sound were to be emitted. They were all told of how this man, the one who calls himself Master, had promised them a life without pain and all their wishes would be granted, how they will be loved, only to find that this man only wanted them to be a gimmick in a circus with some other nine other people who once called themselves the Akatsuki Organization. Then, they all introduced themselves.

Gaara already knew who the fox, cat, and ape were. The turtle and slug was named Yagura and Utakata. They were friends and were both from the Mist Village and were lured away when Yagura was seven and Utakata was six. It's been seven years for the both of them since then. The horse was named Han, he was from the Rock Village just as Roushi was, though Han was ten when he was taken and has been here for five years, while as Roushi was ten and has been here for twelve years. Fuu is the beetle, she was taken from the Waterfall Village when she was five and was taken the same year Han was, making her stay also five years. The Ox likes to call himself Killer Bee and rapped about how he was from the Cloud Village just as was Yugito. He was taken after Yugito was and has been here for three years when he was thirteen, while Yugito's been here for eight years when she was twelve. As for Naruto, he already said he was five and he was taken from the Leaf Village just a month ago.

Gaara, so as to not get confused, made a mental chart as to understand the situation, which went like this:

Roushi, 4-tailed ape, Rock Village = 12 years, is now 22 years old.

Yugito, 2-tailed cat, Cloud Village = 8 years, is now 20 years old.

Han, 5-tailed horse, Rock Village = 5 years, is now 15 years old.

Yagura, 3-tailed turtle, Mist Village = 7 years, is now 14 years old.

Utakata, 6-tailed slug, Mist Village = 7 years, is now 13 years old.

Killer Bee, 8-tailed ox, Cloud Village = 3 years, is now 13 years old.

Fuu, 7-tailed beetle, Waterfall Village = 5 years, is now 10 years old.

Naruto, 9-tailed fox, Leaf Village = 1 month, is 5 years old.

Gaara voiced out his mental chart to see if he understood it correctly. Naruto stared at him as if he was some sort of genius. "You sorted all that with just an hour! I still can't remember half of that and I've been here for only a month!"

"Every month or so, we would perform for a vast amount of people, and when we're not performing, _he_ makes us practice and makes us learn new tricks to amuse them." Yugito decided to ignore him and continue.

"It was better to have been hated by the village then to have come here and be laughed at." Fuu sniffled. She would have cried, but she didn't think beetles were capable of shedding tears.

"That's why we should plan an escape!" Roushi roared. "I heard that Master is rounding the rest of the Akatsuki to help him train us to do a trick called the Juubi that involves all of us interacting with another. This will give us an opportunity to escape and take off these damn collars." To emphasize his frustration with the metal collar, Roushi began to pull at it.

"I see," Han nodded in his horse-like way. "Before, we were all contained in one cage and set out one by one, but with all of us out there, he can't control us all."

"Looks left, then looks right, all's a mess, no way he'll fight!" Killer Bee thrust his oxen horns up in a howl of joy. "When's the plan, big ape man?"

"Roushi," he thought to remind him, "and it will be a while for we still need to scout the area for when our big performance will undergo, and we must measure up on our trainers, their capabilities and our own to help us escape."

"We may need some help," Utakata raised his tails to swish back and forth from him and Yagura. "A slug and a turtle aren't usually known for their speed."

"I can help you Utakata!" Fuu flicked her one long tail. "I'll fly away with you as long as Killer Bee can take Yagura."

"You can count on me, my little sweet pea!" Killer Bee rapped, and carried Yagura. He didn't like it one bit.

"Let go of me, you stupid ox!"

"Quiet!" Yugito hissed. "I hear Master and his goons coming along. It appears to be dinner time."

With one whole group nod, the deal was set, and though Gaara and Naruto were far too young to understand, they'll try their best if it means freedom. Gaara may have only performed once, but from the stories he's heard and the scars that he noticed, he would rather go back to the Sand Village than to stay here with the people that are true monsters.

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><p><strong>I'll type out another chapter as soon as I can... or as fast as my interest and attention span will allow me to.<strong>


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